Equine ethics
It seeks to examine and potentially reform practices that may be deemed unethical, encompassing various aspects such as breeding, care, usage (particularly in sports), and end-of-life considerations.
These ethical considerations have implications for the economy and legal frameworks surrounding horse riding, racing, and breeding, particularly in the context of globalization and international trade in equestrian sports.
According to the definition provided by the Swiss National Stud Farm [fr; de], equine ethics involves critically examining human behavior toward horses to "decide in good conscience what is right and what is wrong, and to act accordingly".
[1] The former (farmers) see the end of the life of plants and animals as the normal culmination of a production cycle, yet many of them keep a work horse for a long time, even if it is no longer useful and profitable.
[8] A large number of equestrian practices are deemed unethical, including the use of a harsh bit, the riding crop, training methods such as rollkur and poling, the use of electric shocks, and the domination of the horse by force.
The question is: Can they suffer?Alberto Bondolfi highlights the importance of Bentham's argument, as it marks the first time pain is used as the ethical criterion for judging the treatment of animals.
[21] Historically viewed as agricultural livestock and symbols of military virility, horses have increasingly gained recognition in urban and female circles, evolving into companions regarded as pets deserving of emotional connection.
[26] In 2009, the French Equestrian Federation published the "Charte d'éthique des équipes de France d'équitation", stipulating that "riders must respect and care for their horses".
A multidisciplinary dialogue involving breeders, equine owners, and leisure riders was initiated in 2009, culminating in a recognition of the need for improved information, communication, and knowledge transfer.
[2] The Fédération Équestre du Québec has adopted a "Code of Ethics" that includes recommendations for dealing with horses, who should be treated with "the kindness, respect, and compassion they deserve".
For example, in the 2010s, countries such as Switzerland, Belgium, and France criticized the practices of Gulf Arab nations in the equestrian discipline of endurance racing, citing the high number of horse fatalities during and after competitions.
[37] A notable ethical controversy arose in 2015 when a young Swedish rider made headlines for euthanizing her mare, which was suffering from an incurable knee condition, and consuming the animal's meat for several months.
In Belgium,[49] Quebec,[33] and France, the horse is still legally classified as a livestock animal, despite repeated requests (from the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, among others) for it to be granted pet status,[50][51] which would abolish the horse-breeding industry.
Under European Union law, a pet animal may not be "trained in a way that is detrimental to its health or well-being, in particular by forcing it to exceed its natural abilities or strength, or by using artificial means".
[72] However, the "ordinary, banal, less visible practices" of "Sunday riders" are, according to ethicist Émilie De Cooker, "just as problematic",[73] as are those in riding schools, where horses become "jaded" by being ridden by beginners and repeating the same exercises every day.
[78] While the widespread adoption of microchip implants has rendered traditional branding largely obsolete, it persists primarily as a custom and a means of promoting specific breeds or bloodlines.
[92] According to psychoanalyst Ghilaine Jeannot-Pages, "the entire sporting vocabulary serves this lure", whereas the psychology of a herbivorous herd animal would lead it to flee constraints and useless efforts.
Castration poses risks to the horse's physical integrity and can lead to veterinary complications; however, it is often justified as a means to ease management and reduce behavioral challenges associated with maintaining stallions.
The vast array of qualities in horses makes it difficult to establish a clear hierarchy of traits; determining which characteristics are most valuable requires subjective judgment.
[99] She advises taking inspiration from Nuno Oliveira's equestrian philosophy, which rejects arrogance and domination, and encouraging the education of riders towards "a form of wisdom and humility".
[100] For Dr. Bernard Denis, veterinarian and president of the Society of Ethnozoology, "Removing horses from the real or potential suffering associated with their sometimes abusive or disrespectful use, and improving equine welfare from now on, remains a priority".
[23] Commenting on the theory that the horse will disappear due to lack of use, Amélie Tsaag Valren and Laetitia Bataille support a "third way between the end of all use and intensive use, that of a better-understood equitation", taking into account the principles of lightness and biomechanics.
[110] PETA has, however, taken a stand in favor of the return of equine slaughter in the United States, due to the increased suffering of unwanted horses exported to Canada and Mexico.
[113] Speciesism is prevalent even within the equidae family: the horse is the object of a great deal of attention, while the donkey and its hybrids are considered poor animals,[114] and do not give rise to any ethical debate.
Damage to horse welfare is caused by "loading, transport, unloading, smells, noise, sometimes waiting at the slaughterhouse, a narrow corridor and a stunning box unsuited to equids", as well as by "misses on the fatal blow",[119] as Temple Grandin pointed out.
[124] Amélie Tsaag Valren points out that the adaptation of these heavy breeds to the meat market has led to a drift in selection criteria, resulting in horses suffering from health problems due to obesity and repeated pregnancies.
For Émilie De Cooker, "the objectification of the competition horse and the prior denial of its status as a moral subject stem from a reductionist conception of animal existence":[77] this leads to a lack of consideration for its well-being, the use of painful methods to increase performance, and the primacy of financial interest over ethics, for example in the early backing of thoroughbreds at 18 months.
[80] Horse cloning involves bioethical issues, since it leads to a high mortality rate of embryos, fetuses and newborn or young foals, as well as contributing to commodification.
[134] In the UK, the researcher William (Twink) Allen was refused permission to continue his cloning trials in 2004, as the animals could present malformations, anomalies and diseases, according to the British authorities.
[141] Émilie De Cooker notes that, according to the cloning company Cryozootech, "the absence of animal suffering and the naturalness of gestation seem to be enough to end the debate on the legitimacy of this practice".
